Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie

‘The Messiaen Monster’, ridiculed by critics at its premiere—in the best tradition of works of genius—is now ‘established as one of the most astonishing classics of the twentieth century’, as Nigel Simeone writes in the booklet of this brilliant new release. The joyful generosity of the orchestral writing and kaleidoscopic nature of the musical invention make Turangalîla one of Messiaen’s most characteristic and appealing works, considered by many to be his masterpiece. As well as the distinctive sound of the ondes martenot, the other striking feature is the virtuoso piano part—it is in some ways a concerto, although the sheer scale of the orchestral contribution belies that specific title. Rarely has it been more explosively performed than here, with an acknowledged living master of Messiaen’s piano music, Steven Osborne, at the keyboard.

CDA67816  77 minutes 0 seconds
‘Messiaen's joyous amalgamation of unfettered emotion and experiments in musical time is incredibly rich in detail, yet remarkably direct in experession … any performance must keep sight of the r ...
‘Two formidable Messiaen interpreters—pianist Steven Osborne and ondes Martenot player Cynthia Millar—give this exciting new recording of the Turangalîla Symphony a stamp of authority and flair ...
‘The Bergen orchestra can hold its own with any, abetted here by Steven Osborne's coruscating brilliance in the solo piano part and Cynthia Millar on the ondes Martenot, in a part she has performed (b ...